Car-brake.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

I /W Jran/Z Jae/5Z5)" F. G. KOBHLER.

GAR BRAKE APPLIGATION FILED 11110. 21. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED FEB. '7, 1905.

F. G. KOEHLER.

GAR BRAKE APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 21, 1903.

D W M Patented February 7, 1905.

FRANK G. KOEHLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,143, dated February7, 1905.

Application filed December 21,1903. Serial No. 186,011.

To It lr'ho'nt it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK (3r. KonIiLnR, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Brakes, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a brake for use upon steam-cars or street-cars,and has for its object to provide a construction in which the slack inthe brake-head-operating mechanism may be readily and eflicientlyadjusted; also, a construction by which the leverage action of thebrake-setting mechanism is increased; also, a novel construction ofhangers for the brake-heads.

The invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a side elevation of my brake shown applied to a pair ofcar-wheels. Fig. II is a horizontal section taken on lines II II, Fig.I. Fig. III is an enlarged elevation of one of the brake-shoes and itssupports. Fig. IV is a vertical section taken on line IV IV, Fig. III.Fig. V is a vertical section taken on line V V, Fig. III. Fig. VI is avertical section taken on line VI VI, Fig. III. Fig. VII is a verticalsection taken on line VII VII, Fig. III. Fig. VIII is a horizontalsection taken on line VIII VIII, Fig. III. Fig. IX is a perspective viewof one of the hangerbrackets by which the brake-heads are supported.Fig. X is a view in detail of one of the brake-rod-receiving levers.

A designates a pair of car-wheels, and B the transom of a car-truck.

1 designates hanger-brackets that are fitted to the transom B, to whichthey are secured by any suitable means, such as bolts passed through thebrackets and the transom. Each bracket has an upper lip 2, that titsover the top of the transom, and a lower lip 3, that engages beneath thetransom.

4 designates horizontal arms projecting from the main bodies of thebrackets at right angles thereto, these arms being rendered ofbifurcated form due to slots 5 extending longitudinally thereof, as seenin Figs. IV and IX. In each arm I is a seat 6, that extends transverselyof the arm. The arms 4 aresurmounted by caps T,that are held to saidarms by T-bolts 8, which pass upwardly through the slots in the arms andthe caps and are held by nuts 9. Interposed between the arms and capsare packing-washers 10, that permit of the caps being held more or lesstightly to the hangerbracket arms.

11 designates hanger-rods provided at their upper ends with T-heads 12,the arms of which are pivotally seated in the seats 6 of thehangerbraeket arms. (See Figs. I, III, and V.) The lower end of eachhanger-rod is furnished with a T-head 13. (See Figs. I, III, and VII.)

14 designates brake-heads which carry the usual shoes 14. Each of thesebrake-heads is furnished with a rearwardly-projecting bifurcated arm 15,containing in its under side a seat 15, that receives the arms of thelower T-head 13 of the corresponding hanger-rod 11.

16 designates caps secured to the bifurcated brake-head arms by T-bolts17, that pass through said members and are provided with nuts 18. Eachof the caps 16 is furnished with a point 16', that rests in an apertureII in the brake-head. (See Fig. III.) Between the brake-head arms 14 andthe caps 16 are packing-washers 19, similar to those 10., The caps 16bear against the T-heads 13 ot' the hangerrods 11 and serve to retainsaid heads in their seats 15.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the use of thehanger-brackets 1 and the parts associated therewith and the arms 15 ofthe brake-heads and the parts associated therewith and the hanger-rods11, having their T- heads loosely seated in said hanger-brackets, andbrake-head arms the brake-heads are so supported as to be subject toswinging motion to permit of their approach to and recession from theperimeters of the car-wheels with which they are associated.

Each of the brake-heads 14: is provided with a central transverseaperture let". (See Fig. III.)

20 designates rack-bars that are connected to the brake-heads bypivot-bolts 21. (See Fig. I.) These rack-bars enter into a pair of links22, that are pivoted to each other by a connecting-bolt 23. The linksare recessed to receive said rack-bars and have connected to themlatches 24, that are pivoted at 25 to each link and bear stirrups 26,that straddle the outer ends of the links. In the stirrups 26 are bolts27, by which the latches 24 are held in alinement with the links 22 whenthe rackbars 20 are positioned between the links and latches. Thisconstruction of links, rack-bars, and latches forming connection betweena pair of brake-heads constitutes a series of members that provides aslack-adjusting arrangement whereby the pressure brought to bear againsteither brake-head maybe adjusted by shifting either rack-bar 2O inwardlyor outwardly when the latches 24 are moved away from the rack-bars 20 topermit of their being slipped longitudinally with respect to the linksand latches. No invention per se is herein claimed for thisslack-adjusting arrangement, it being made the subject-matter forseparate application for patent, Serial No. 186,012, filed of even dateherewith and to which reference may be had for a more full understandingof its construction.

28 designates a link loosely connected at its lower end to theconnecting-bolt 23 which unites the links 22. The upper end of this linkhas pivoted to it a rocker 29, that is fixed to a rock-shaft 30,journaled in suitable supports carried by the car-truck frame (1. (SeeFigs. I and II.) a

' 31 is a rocking lever fixed to the rock-shaft 30. (See Figs. I, II,and X.) This rocking lever is provided in its upper free end with a slot32, that receives a pin 33, which rides in said slot and serves toconnect a freely-movable brake-rod 3a to said rocking lever. By thisconstruction of parts when the brake-rod 34 is actuated to apply thebrakes the pin 33 in said rod operates in the slot 32, extendinglongitudinally of the rocking lever, moving from the inner end of saidslot gradually to its outer end, thereby becoming more and more remotefrom the rock-shaft to which the rocking lever is fixed and graduallyincreasing the leverage obtained through the medium of said' rockinglever as the brakerod is drawn upon in applying the brakes, during whichaction the brake-rod swings vertically to permit the travel of the pin33, due to the free mounting in said rod. The

brakes may therefore be set with a diminished expenditure of power,owing to such increased leverage, the setting thereof being accomplishedthrough the rotation of the rock-shaft 30, the upward movement of therocker 29 and link 28, which latter in turn acts to elevate theconnected ends of the links 22 to spread the brake-heads apart and setthe brake -shoes to the perimeters of the carwheels.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-brake, the combination ofbrakeheads, hanger-brackets, hanger-rods having T-heads seated in saidbrackets, caps confining said T- heads, T- heads carried by the lowerends of said hanger-rods, and caps securing said last-named T-heads tothe brakeheads, substantially as set forth.

2. In a car brake, the combination of h anger-brackets having bifurcatedarms, caps secured to said arms, brake-heads having bifurcated arms,caps secured to said brakehead arms, hanger-rods, and T-heads carried bysaid hanger rods seated between said bracket-arms and caps andbrake-head arms and caps, substantially as set forth.

3. Ina car-brake, the combination of brakeheads, and a pair of linkspivoted to each other and adjustably connected to said brakeheads,substantially as set forth.

4. In a car-brake, the combination of brakeheads, rock-bars pivoted tosaid brake-heads, and a pair of links pivoted to each other andadjustably held to said rock-bars, substantially as set forth.

5. In a car-brake, the combination of a pair of brake-heads, linkspivoted to each other and pivotally connected to said brake-heads, and abrake-lever connected to said links; said brake-lever being providedwith a longitudinal slot to receive the connecting member of a brakerod,substantially as set forth.

6. In a car-brake, the combination of a pair of brake-heads, linkspivoted to said brakeheads. a rock-shaft, means of connection betweensaid rock-shaft and said links, and a brake-lever fixed to saidrock-shaft; said brake-lever being provided with a longitudinal slot toreceive the connecting member of a brake-rod, substantially as setforth.

FRANK G. KOEHLER.

In presence of E. S. KNIGHT, M. P. SMITH.

